In the final week of June 2026, the textile raw material market presented a sharply divergent picture. Cotton yarn 21S and 32S posted weekly gains of 0.14% and 0.10%, respectively, making them the only two rising categories. In stark contrast, acrylonitrile and PTA plunged 6.92% and 5.10%, with two commodities falling over 5%, accounting for 11.8% of the monitored segment. The overall textile sector recorded a weekly average change of -1.65%, with 13 out of 17 tracked products declining.
Chemical Fiber Chain: Squeezed from Both Cost and Demand
Acrylonitrile led the downturn with a 6.92% weekly drop, closing at 10,083.33 yuan/ton, though its year-on-year increase still stood at 25%. PTA followed closely, falling 5.10% to 5,734 yuan/ton. The collapse of these two benchmarks dragged down the entire chemical fiber chain. Polyester DTY, POY, FDY, and staple fiber declined between 0.91% and 2.60%, while polyester yarn fell 1.79%. Nylon DTY, POY, and FDY dropped 0.88% to 1.21%.
This round of declines signals more than seasonal weakness. PTA, as the pricing anchor for the polyester chain, a drop exceeding 5% in one week will quickly transmit to downstream filament and staple, influencing procurement decisions for grey fabric and finished fabric mills. The acrylonitrile crash directly impacts acrylic fiber and carbon fiber intermediates. Despite this week's sharp falls, year-on-year gains for acrylonitrile, PTA, and polyester products remain above 10%, indicating that the current correction is a rational retreat from elevated bases.
Cotton and Natural Fibers: Relative Resilience with Underlying Risks
The slight uptick in cotton yarn 21S and 32S appears to be an independent rally within the cotton chain. However, raw cotton prices fell 1.23% to 17,417.67 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year increase of 16.08%, showing that the feedstock side is also weakening. The strength in cotton yarn may be driven by urgent restocking from weaving mills rather than genuine demand recovery. Viscose staple fiber and rayon yarn prices were flat, spandex edged down 0.56%, and raw silk fell nearly 2%, with its year-on-year change turning negative at -10.12%.
For buyers, the firmness of cotton yarn may temporarily support grey fabric quotations, but if raw cotton continues to decline, cotton yarn prices will face catch-up pressure within one to two weeks. The 10.12% year-on-year drop in raw silk warrants attention, suggesting shrinking demand for high-end silk fabrics, possibly linked to slowing luxury consumption globally.
Impact on Industrial Clusters and Trade
From a regional perspective, polyester clusters in Shengze and Changxing will directly feel the feedstock price pressure. The simultaneous decline in PTA and polyester yarn means lower input costs for weavers, but finished grey fabric prices may also fall, not necessarily expanding margins. In Keqiao, mills dealing in cotton and blended fabrics face a contradictory raw material structure—cotton yarn relatively strong, chemical fibers weak—requiring more flexible product pricing strategies.
On the trade front, volatile raw material prices combined with RMB exchange rate fluctuations make it harder for export-oriented textile firms to lock in costs and prices. The sharp drops in acrylonitrile and PTA may offer short-term cost benefits for exporters of acrylic yarn and polyester products, but if clients demand synchronized price cuts, margin improvements will be limited.